Unrest
by MoonytheMarauder1
Summary: Lyall is caught in a terrible web of protecting his son, and protecting the world. One thing is for certain, though—he is trapped. FenrirLyall. Warnings for controlling relationship, semi-graphic descriptions of violence, and mentions of off-screen character death.


**A/N: Hey y'all! This was written for Hogwarts. Prompts are below! :)**

**Alchemy Task 2: Write about inspiring others**

**Word Count: 1531**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Those rights go to JK Rowling. **

**WARNINGS: Controlling relationship, semi-graphic descriptions of violence, mentions of off-screen character death.**

**Notes: Very much canon-divergent, soulmate!au where muggles don't have soulmates**

**Enjoy!**

The autumn air was cold against Lyall's bare skin. He wore only a thin shirt, despite the rapidly cooling weather, having wrapped Remus in his cloak. The young boy's hand was holding tightly to two of Lyall's fingers, his large amber eyes looking around the nearly deserted town with fear.

Lyall forced a smile. "It's okay, Remus," he murmured. "It's okay."

The five-year-old boy nodded, though he didn't seem convinced. Lyall bit his lip. As father and son approached the village, it became clear that there was a crowd outside of the tavern, its members paying close attention to a man who'd stood himself on a crate.

"The Ministry," Fenrir Greyback shouted, "will pay for the way they've treated us! They have pushed us to the edge of civilization, to the brink of extinction! Well, I say it's time to fight fire with fire. No longer will we retreat to the shadows—we will stand tall!"

A cheer went up from the crowd, and Lyall was suddenly very aware that he was the only human around; he pulled Remus closer.

"No longer will our children and loved ones be slaughtered—we will defend our own!"

Another cheer. Lyall noticed that Remus was trembling, negatively affected by the energy around him. Lyall scooped him up. "Remember when we went to the seashore with Mummy last summer?" He hoped he wasn't making things worse by mentioning the boy's dead mother, but he needed to distract his son from the rebellion around them. "We played in the sand and splashed in the ocean."

Remus nodded mutely, his face buried in his father's neck. "I don't like it here," he whispered.

Lyall's heart, if possible, broke even more.

"We will no longer be willing to step aside! We won't bow down to them! We will rise up as the superior race—the strongest and the bravest!"

The young werewolves were restless, buzzing with excitement about the future their leader promised. Lyall felt sick to his stomach imagining it. They'd take over the world the way they'd taken over this village; massacring every last being until there was no one left to oppose them.

It had been a bloody battle that Lyall hoped Remus hadn't seen. The boy had been with Greyback while Lyall stayed back in the cave, waiting anxiously for the moon to set so he could go see his son.

Greyback, satisfied, jumped off the crate and invited the entire pack—around forty werewolves in all, excluding Remus (Lyall couldn't reconcile his sweet son with the monsters the men before him had become)—into the pub behind him. They all ran in, laughing and shoving each other. Lyall followed at a slow pace, Remus still nestled in his arms. He entered the pub, casting one last look at the evening sunlight before letting the heavy door fall shut behind him.

"Lupin! Would you hurry up and get over here, you fool?"

Lyall turned sharply to Fenrir, who had a spot open at a table of two for him. He made his way over, still unsettled by that not-quite-monstrous smile aimed at him, despite having been on the receiving end of it for months.

Fenrir's blue eyes glittered, dark and fierce. He patted the chair beside him and Lyall sat down heavily, setting Remus on his lap. Fenrir's eyes softened when he saw the boy, and Lyall swallowed thickly. His own blue eyes were drawn to the halfmoon soulmark on his wrist, its twin printed on Fenrir's skin. It served as a reminder that the man Lyall was supposed to love was still in there somewhere—but he sometimes wondered if they'd found each other too late.

Lyall placed a protective hand on Remus' head. "You don't have to attack the Ministry like this," he attempted to reason. "It's not right—there are other ways to earn equality."

Fenrir snorted, the scars on his face flashing in the dim light. "Don't be daft. The only way for our kind" —he put a hand on Remus' shoulder, and both father and son stiffened— "to gain equality is to _take it_."

Lyall shook his head. "This isn't how I want to raise my son," he nearly growled. "This murder and blooshed isn't any place for a child—"

"You came here after your _wife_" —he snarled the word— "died and the boy was turned, knowing that I was the only one who could protect him from the Ministry. Isn't that right?"

Lyall looked away. "Yes."

"You're here because we" —he took Lyall's hand, tracing the soulmark with the pad of his thumb— "are meant to do this together."

Lyall cleared his throat. "Well. Excuse me if I seem a little unimpressed with this."

"I can keep Remus safe," Fenrir insisted. He gestured to all the other werewolves in the pub, laughing and helping themselves to the drinks behind the counter. "I can keep most of them safe. The majority of them will live to see a better world."

"If they die, who's winning? Certainly not them!" Lyall protested. It was terrifying to see the amount of influence Fenrir had on them; he hoped with all his heart that Remus would never grow to be that desperate to be seen as equal. "The Ministry wins, that's who."

"I'm the one who wins!" Fenrir's palms slapped the table, and Remus jumped in fright. The older werewolf noticed, and his eyes softened. He stood to take Remus from Lyall, but the other man's grip tightened.

Fenrir frowned at him, but smiled down at Remus with ruby red lips Lyall couldn't help but imagine dripping with blood. "I'm his second father now," he insisted, tapping his soulmark. "Let me see him."

Lyall's heart was racing. It was a dangerous balancing act, trying to keep Remus safe and keeping Fenrir happy. In the end, he knew Fenrir wouldn't harm the boy, so he slowly passed him over.

Fenrir smiled at the little boy, and for a moment he could have passed as human. "Hello, cub," he murmured. "How are you?"

"Don't call him that," Lyall snapped as Remus lifted his chin up defiantly and let out a quiet "Fine." Lyall clenched his jaw. "He's not a wolf."

Fenrir merely raised a dark brow at him, pulling down the collar of Remus' shirt down to reveal part of the bite that had scarred over. "Yes," he said simply, "he is."

Wordlessly, Lyall took the boy back, and Remus changed from the leader's possession to the leader's partner's son.

Fenrir stood. He clapped Lyall on the shoulder and said with a large, toothy grin, "It's time for us to go back to the camp to sleep. Tomorrow, I spark a rebellion that will change our lives forever."

"I control my life," Lyall spat. "Not you."

Fenrir only smiled.

* * *

Back at the camp that evening, Lyall laid in the makeshift bed he shared with the most deadly werewolf in Britain, his eyes trained on his son, who was sleeping in a cot nearby. He berated himself silently. He felt useless here; he couldn't stop the massacre the werewolves were planning without risking his son's life, he couldn't keep his son—or anyone else—safe unless he stopped the massacre… It was a vicious cycle, and he was powerless to stop it.

Fingers ghosted across Lyall's shoulder, and he stiffly spoke the words Fenrir wanted to hear every night before they fell asleep: "Thank you for taking me into your home. I love this new life."

Fenrir was silent for a moment. "You know that I only wish to make both of you happy."

Lyall snorted, but didn't respond. He'd have started a shouting match then and there if Remus hadn't been a short distance away, likely to wake from their noise.

"Talk to me," Fenrir demanded.

Lyall sighed heavily. "I don't want to talk anymore. I'm sick of talking." He squeezed his eyes shut as he thought about his failed attempts to stop Fenrir. "Talking isn't getting us anywhere."

"We'll have our freedom soon," Fenrir whispered. "Me and our boy." Lyall's stomach knotted at those words, but the werewolf continued. "You don't understand because you don't have to live this life. But you will."

"You've inspired them all to be murderers."

"I've inspired them all to stand tall and be proud of who they are," Fenrir corrected. His fingers ran through Lyall's greying brown hair. "I'll do the same for Remus."

Lyall couldn't bear to think about that. For now, he was safe with the knowledge that Remus tried to avoid Fenrir like he was something forbidden to touch or even look upon—but it wouldn't stay that way forever.

Minutes of silence passed, and then Lyall heard Fenrir sigh, the sound echoing through the cave. "One day, you'll believe that I love you."

Lyall closed his eyes as his breathing turned ragged.

"Kiss me," Fenrir whispered softly.

Knowing he had no choice, Lyall turned and captured those ruby red lips with his own, feeling as though he was sealing the fate of countless innocents.

After what seemed like eons, Fenrir broke the kiss and pulled Lyall against his chest. "You'll see. It will all turn out for the better."

Lyall wasn't so sure.

**A/N:**

**WC: Assorted Appreciation: Emily — (setting) pub/tavern, (trope) sharing a bed, (dialogue) "Thank you for taking me into your home. I love this new life."**

**WC: Disney Challenge: Songs 1. Following the Leader — write about looking up to a leader**

**WC: Trope of the Month: 15. Soulmates**

**WC: All Sorts of Space: 2. Marauders era**

**WC: Book Club: Queen Red — (color) ruby, (word) possession, (dialogue) "Would you hurry and get over here, you fool?"**

**WC: Showtime: 11. Voulez-Vous — (setting) a pub**

**WC: Press Play: 17. "I'm the one who wins!"**

**WC: Liza's Loves: 19. Resistance — (word) willing**

**WC: Angel's Archive: AU 1. Soulmate, Dialogue 4. "Excuse me if I seem a little unimpressed with this."**

**WC: Scamander's Case: 3. A deadly kiss**

**WC: Bex's Basement: 8. Sunshine**

**WC: Film Festival: 24. (dialogue) "I control my life. Not you."**

**Seasonal: Days of the Year: 20 July — Fenrir Greyback**

**Seasonal: Summer: 2. Seashore**

**Seasonal: Fire: 16. "It's time to fight fire with fire."**

**Romance Awareness: Day 1: Matching Soulmate Marks; Bonus: 2. (dialogue) "One day, you'll believe that I love you."**

**Fortnightly: Slytherin vs. Hufflepuff — (S) forbidden/(H) marauders era**

**Galleon Club: (word) fierce**

**34\. Human**

**241\. "I don't want to talk anymore. I'm sick of talking. Talking isn't getting us anywhere."**


End file.
